Gordon Ramsay

Who is Gordon Ramsay?

Gordon James Ramsay was born on 8th November 1966. He is a British chef, writer, television personality, restaurateur and social media personality. Most importantly, Gordon Ramsay has a wide social media reach with millions of followers on any platform. As you can see, Gordon is all over the different social media, but it wasn’t always like that. He had some audience before but started going hard on social media during the lockdown, which paid off. 

Gordon is a founder of Goŕdon Ramsay Restaurants. He created this group in 1997 and was awarded 16 Michelin stars in total, currently holding 7 of them. 

Above everything else, Gordon Ramsay is known for his personality and starred in multiple television shows. Most of the time, he is portrayed bluntly with strict demeanour, fiery temper and frequent profanity. In contrast, Gordon looks like a loving father, overall a good and honest person. He hired and promoted multiple chefs who grew under his wing. 

Gordon Ramsay presented various shows involving cooking, such as celebrities competing in cooking, him trying to improve bad restaurants or just straight-up competitive shows with amateurs cooking against each other.

Another thing worth mentioning, Gordon got multiple awards and appointments. In 2006, Gordon Ramsay was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II herself in the New Year Honours list for services to the hospitality industry. After that, Gordon won the Catey award for “Independent Restaurateur of the Year”, making him the third person holding three Catey awards and was mentioned in Forbes 2020 with his $70 million yearly income as a 19th-highest-earning celebrity in the world.

Personal life of Gordon Ramsay

Gordon was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. His father, Gordon James Sr. Ramsay and mother Helen Cosgrove had four children, oldest Dianne Ramsay, second oldest Gordon Ramsay, second youngest Yvonne Ramsay, a nurse like her mother and the youngest Ronnie Ramsay, who has been imprisoned for heroin possession. 

Due to his father having different jobs such as a welder, swimming pool manager and shopkeeper, the family moved around a lot. They finally settled in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1976 when Gordon was nine years old, where he grew up in the Bishopton area of the town. Gordon Ramsay wrote an autobiography, “Humble Pie”, and describes his father as an abusive hard-drinking womaniser. 

He started working as a pot washer in a local Indian restaurant at a very young age. Meanwhile, his sister worked at the same place as the waitress. At the age of 16, Gordon moved to his own apartment in Banbury. 

Gordon Ramsay married Cayetana Elizabeth Hutcheson, a Montessori-trained schoolteacher, in 1996. Even though Tana suffers from Polycystic ovary syndrome, which means she has trouble getting pregnant, she and Gordon have 5 children together, Megan, Holly, Jack, Matilda and Oscar. In 2017, Megan ran a marathon in memory of her not-born brother Rocky. Tana miscarried 5 months into her pregnancy in 2016. The youngest Oscar was born after this incident.

Gordon Ramsay stated in 2016 that he exercises on a regular basis because he has seen too many chefs getting unfit and overweight, collapse or getting slower in the kitchen. If you think Gordon Ramsay only exercises every now and then to keep himself fit, you are wrong. Gordon often competes in ironman challenges, triathlons and marathons. Most importantly, he is very serious about his diet and eats very little per meal and spreads it throughout the whole day. Gordon developed this habit in various TV shows where he needs to taste multiple meals per show. As a true old-schooler that he is, Gordon owns a black belt in Karate.

Gordon Ramsay is also a football and baseball fan. His favourite baseball teams are Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels. Even though Gordon likes the game, he often jokes around about the games being too long, forcing fans to spend most of their time eating or sleeping and being unhealthy. 

His football passion has much deeper roots. Gordon is a massive fan of English Premier League club Chelsea and Scottish Premiership club Rangers. That is to say, Gordon’s passion goes far back to when he played football himself. Gordon played for Warwickshire in the under 14 league when 12 years old. After that, he played for Rangers and was signed by the club at the age of 15. In his autobiography, Gordon claims he played “a couple of non-league matches as a trialist”. Gordon Ramsay played in a testimonial match and trained with them for a few months. He injured his knee, smashing the cartilage during one of the training sessions with Rangers.

Gordon Ramsay mentioned his training on 29th July 2008 during the episode of “F word”. During this episode, Gordon said “Home, Sweet Home!” He explained, “My dream came true when I was spotted in the mid-80s, and I joined the youth team here in Ibrox.” Ally McCoist, one of Scotland’s football legends said about Ramsay “I remember him well, and the one thing that never ever will change is that he’s a competitive so-and-so and wants to do and be the best that he can.” Even though Gordon’s football career had a tragic ending, he didn’t regret anything. After he got his third Michelin star, Gordon stated, “Without the upset at Ibrox, I would not be the chef I am today.”

The culinary career of Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay’s interest in culinary arts already began before his injury. In his words, he didn’t want to be known as “the football player with the gammy knee”. After that, Gordon took matters really seriously at the age of 19 when he enrolled at North Oxfordshire Technical College, sponsored by the Rotarians, to study hotel management. He later described his decision to enter catering college as “a complete accident”.

After his college experience, Gordon worked as a commis chef at the Wroxton House Hotel in the mid-1980s. He led a 60-seat dining room at the Wickham Arms but was forced to end his contract because of a sexual relationship with the owner’s wife. Gordon decided to move to London, where he worked in various restaurants, before settling and working for the temperamental Marco Pierre White at Harvey’s.

After working in Harveys for almost three years, Gordon decided he had enough of “the rages, bullying and violence”. Gordon realised that to further advance his growth, he needed to dive deeper into French cuisine. Firstly, he wanted to take a job in Paris, but his mentor Marco Pierre discouraged him and instead advised him to take a job for Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in Mayfair. This is where Gordon met Jean-Claude Breton, who later became his maître d’hôtel at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

Gordon Ramsay worked in La Gavroche just a year before Alber Rox invited him to be his number two at Hotel Dive, a ski resort in the French Alps.

Later in his life, when he was 23-year-old, Gordon started working with famous Michelin chefs Joël Robuchon and Guy Savoy in Paris. Gordon Ramsay specifically mentioned Guy Savoy as his mentor in one of his Master Chef episodes. He then continued to work in Paris for three years before taking a year off as a personal chef at a private yacht Idlewild, based in Bermuda. That is to say, Gordon sailed to Sicily and Sardinia, Italy, and learned about Italian cuisine.

In 1993, Gordon returned to London and was offered a head chef position at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant La Tante Claire in Chelsea. Gordon accepted a job from Marco Pierre White, his former chef, as a head chef with a 10% share in the Rossmore, owned by White’s business partners. Rossmore was later renamed Aubergine and Gordon cooked its way towards a second Michelin star one year later. On the other hand, Gordon’s dream was to open his own restaurant and quit this job after his business owners wanted to turn Aubergine into a chain. Gordon has described the decision to set out on his own journey as “The most important day of my entire cooking career. The most important decision of my life”.

In the same year, 1998, Gordon Ramsay opened his first restaurant in Chelsea with the help of Chris Hutcheson, his father-in-law. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay gained its third Michelin star only three years later with the help of his former colleagues at Aubergine. Gordon Ramsay became the first Scot with such achievement. In 2011, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay ended up as the second-best restaurant in the UK, shortly after The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.

Gordon proceeded to grow his empire, from restaurants in the UK to Gordon Ramsay’s in Tokyo. He opened Pétrus, then Amaryllis in Glasgow (which he was later forced to close), and Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. His friend from Le Gavroche, Jean-Philippe Susilovic, started working for him at Pétrus and starred in multiple episodes of Hell’s Kitchen. Gordon went worldwide and opened his first restaurants outside of the UK. Beginning with Verre in Dubai and two restaurants in Tokyo, Cerise by Gordon Ramsay and Gordon Ramsay at Conrad, both opened in 2005. Gordon opened his first American restaurant in November 2006 in New York City. Despite mixed reviews from professional critics, this restaurant won top newcomer in the city’s coveted Zagat guide. In 2007, Ramsay opened his first restaurant in Ireland, Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Powerscourt, County Wicklow. On 9th August 2011, Ramsay opened his first Canadian restaurant, Laurier Gordon Ramsay, in Montreal. Both Ireland and Canada restaurants closed in 2013. 

Gordon Ramsay’s TV career

Gordon Ramsay’s first “leading” role in two kitchen documentaries Boiling Point and Beyond Boiling Point, in 1999 and 2000, but it wasn’t Gordon’s first television job. He already guest-starred as a judge for young catering students in 1997. 

After that, Gordon Ramsay got himself a massive hit in the form of a show where he troubleshoots failing restaurants in just one week. Kitchen Nightmares aired on Channel 4 and aired its fifth season in 2007. Gordon starred in another Channel 4 show, Hell’s Kitchen. In this reality show, Gordon trained ten British celebrities to be chefs. Brick Lane restaurant in the East End of London with Gorgon and these “chefs” was open to the public for two weeks. That is to say, Gordon was the creator of this show but signed a contract with Channel 4 for only 4 years. Therefore, Gordon Ramsay only starred in one season of this show before quitting. 

You might think that was the end for Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen, but that isn’t the case. Gordon partnered with the Fox network and introduced the American version of Hell’s Kitchen in May 2005. This show is known for Gordon’s short temper and fiery behaviour. Kitchen Nightmares premiered on Fox on 19th September 2007. Gordon’s nature and some hilarious moments from this show are still posted all over the internet. On 23rd June 2014, Gordon announced he was ending the series. The spin-off of Kitchen Nightmares was introduced in June 2018. 24 Hours to Hell and Back was basically a shorter version of Kitchen Nightmares, but instead of seven days, Gordon did everything in just one day. 

Gordon Ramsay started a food-based magazine series “The F Word” on Channel 4 on 27th October 2005 and US version on Fox On 31st May 2017. The key features of this show are:

• A guest cook competition.
• A brigade competition.
• A series-long project of raising animals to be served in the finale and a food-related investigative report.

In the end, the guest cook submits a dish against Gordon’s similar dish. They are rated by diners who have no idea which dish is Gordon’s, and if the guest dish wins, it becomes served at Ramsay’s restaurant.

During one episode of “F word”, Gordon served in Doncaster Prison in Marshgate. He lost in an onion chopping competition against one of the inmates Kieron Tariff. Gordon was so impressed that he offered him a job in one of his restaurants after his release in 2007. That is to say, this story doesn’t have a happy ending. Kieron committed a crime a few days after his release and ended up in prison once again.

On the other hand, one of the inmates in a different show got a happy ending. After the event with Kieron Tarff, Gordon started a separate series Gordon Ramsay’s Bad Boys’ Bakery. He built a professional bakery inside a prison. This show was a huge hit and changed people lives, including Anthony Kelly. “Gordon was totally genuine in prison. Away from the cameras, he was as good as gold. He told us about his own troubles, his brother has addiction problems, and his old man was an alcoholic. But as much as I got from that experience, it was this place that has really given me what I needed to change.” Kelly is currently studying to become a lifestyle coach. Not everyone got a happy ending, but that’s just how it goes, and it’s not easy to turn around your life when society sees you still as a criminal even when you want to change. 

MasterChef US version is probably the most known series of Gordon Ramsay. In 2010, he served as a judge and producer of this show. The second season of Masterchef started in 2011, and many followed after. Gordon joined forces with Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot to judge dishes made by amateur cooks to crown the one and only MasterChef at the season finale. 

The fiery temper of Gordon Ramsay

We all know how “honest” Gordon Ramsay can be, doesn’t go far for a swear word and can even call someone a donkey and walk out of it like a badass. 

Gordon once ejected famous food critic Adrian Anthony Gill and his dining partner Joan Collins. Adrian then proceeded to state that “Ramsay is a wonderful chef, just a really second-rate human being.” In the autobiography “Humble Pie”, Gordon mentions he didn’t mind if Adrian insulted his food but couldn’t stand an insult on a personal level.

You might think everything in Gordon’s shows is staged, and he is not that bad. Well, you are wrong because when it comes to cooking, Gordon requires perfection. He did have confrontations with his own staff, such as a pastry chef calling the police. Now you might think that Gordon must have a hard time getting new employees, but it’s quite the opposite. In 2005, Gordon shared that he retained 85% of his staff since 1993. Gordon Ramsay took over his management style from previous mentors such as Marco Pierre White and Guy Savoy, Jock Wallace, his manager while a footballer at Rangers and his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson.

MSN Careers featured an article about television’s worst bosses. Gordon Ramsay ended up on this list as the only non-fictional boss. They cited his frequent loss of temper and harsh critiques, notably when he picks on something other than cooking ability, such as calling someone a “chunky monkey”.

Even though Gordon is known for his ferocious temper, he was well-received during his MasterChef Junior series. Gordon can be a real sweetheart when he wants to and shows understanding and patience towards children while still giving constructive criticism. It’s not just with children. Gordon showed his bright side even in an adult MasterChef season 3 with Christine Hà. She is a blind chef and the first blind winner in MasterChef history.

Controversies of Gordon Ramsay

Gordon’s father-in-law Chris Hutcheson took care of his business operations until 2010. Chris was accused of hacking company systems relating to Gordon’s company interests more than 2,000 times between 2010 and 2011. On 7th July 2017, Chris Hutcheson was convicted for 6 months in prison. 

On 17th April 2009, a pre-prepared food scandal started. Gordon was accused of reheating pre-prepared food with up to 580% markups in three of his restaurants. A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay said, “Gordon Ramsay chefs prepare components of dishes devised and produced to the highest Gordon Ramsay standards. These are supplied to those kitchens with limited cooking space, such as Foxtrot Oscar and Gordon Ramsay’s highly acclaimed pubs, including the Narrow. These are sealed and transported daily in refrigerated vans, and all menu dishes are then cooked in the individual kitchens. This is only for the supply of Foxtrot Oscar and the three pubs and allows each establishment to control the consistency, and the quality of the food served”. Gordon Ramsay shrugged off this incident, stating he doesn’t understand “What on earth was the fuss about?”. He even shared that this was a standard procedure when he worked earlier in the French restaurant Le Gavroche. The duck terrine was made outside and delivered into the place.

Gordon Ramsay, vegans and vegetarians

Gordon Ramsay had an aversion to vegetarianism and veganism. Why the past time, you ask? Firstly, let’s go over Gordon’s past events with vegetarianism and veganism before we find out what happened to him to flip his stance.

Gordon’s first public incident was during the first episode of Kitchen Nightmares season 2. He offered a pizza to a vegetarian and confirmed it didn’t contain any meat. After taking a bite, Gordon laughed in his face, told him it included ham and asked if he wanted more. 

In 2003, when asked about his most recent lie, Gordon shared, “To a table of vegetarians who had artichoke soup. I told them it was made with vegetable stock when it was chicken stock.” In a 2007 interview, Gordon joked, “My biggest nightmare would be if the kids ever came up to me and said Dad, I’m a vegetarian. Then I would sit them on the fence and electrocute them.” In 2016, when asked on Twitter whether he was allergic to anything, he wrote “Vegans”. He followed up with: “It’s a joke, it’s not vegans! It’s vegetarians”.

Gordon firstly softened his stance on the second series of The F Word in 2006, where he learned about pig farming practices. “It’s enough to make anyone turn fucking vegetarian, for God’s sake. And I’ve always sort of knocked vegetarians and vegans on missing out on the most amazing flavour you can get from meat. But you can see why so many people change instantly”. In 2019, he launched a vegan menu at his restaurants for Veganuary. He introduced more vegan items to his restaurants, such as a vegan roast, celeriac Wellington and spiced maple carrots. 

Gordon Ramsay stands behind his opinions, but he is ready to be proved wrong and be convinced about your truth. 

Gordon Ramsay’s social media

Gordon Ramsay has a broad social media reach. Unlike other celebrities who focus on only one, Gordon dominates on all of them. He mostly posts recipes, vlogs, family pictures or reactions. 

Gordon’s TikTok has almost 30 million followers and is probably his most successful platform. Tag #RamsayReacts is regularly used for Gordon to react to dishes from cooks worldwide, and the reactions are ruthless. He often posts TikToks with his daughter. 

Gordon Ramsay has 8 million followers on Twitter, 19 million subscribers on YouTube, 13 million followers on Instagram and 22 million followers on Facebook. 

How much does Gordon Ramsay earn? Net worth!

Gordon Ramsay has an estimated net worth of $220 million. Even though Gordon has an extensive social media reach, it all seems more like a hobby to him. Gordon Ramsay is a British chef, food critic, writer, television personality, restaurateur and writer. His salary per episode is $225,000. Gordon owns a large restaurant empire and earns him around $45 million per year, combined with his TV presence. 

In mid-July 2019, Gordon sold a 50% stake in his North American holding company to Lion Capital. Lion plans to spend $100 million launching 100 Gordon Ramsay restaurants in the United States between 2020 and 2025.

Gordon Ramsay owns multiple houses in different corners of Cornwall worth approximately £11 million. Firstly, £4 million mansion in Trebetherick. Secondly, a £4.4 million property in Rock was purchased in 2015. Lastly, a £2 million grade II-listed property in Fowey was purchased in 2017. In August 2020, Ramsay’s four-bedroom Fowey property, Trevail House, was put on sale for £2.75 million.

Interesting facts about Gordon Ramsay

• His zodiac sign is Scorpio.
• Gordon’s height is 6’2” or 184.8 centimetres.
• Gordon’s weight is 196 lbs or 88 kilograms.
• He rose to fame during the British television miniseries Boiling Point in 1999.
• Gordon won the Catey award for “Independent Restaurateur of the Year, “making him the third person holding three Catey awards.
• Gordon Ramsay became one of the most known and most influential chefs in the UK by 2004.
• Gordon Ramsay was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II herself in the New Year Honours list for services to the hospitality industry.
• He was mentioned in Forbes 2020 with his $70 million yearly income as the 19th-highest-earning celebrity globally.
• Gordon’s restaurant at Royal Hospital Road, London, was voted “Top Restaurant in the UK” in the London Zagat Survey 2001.
• In 2011, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay ended up as the second-best restaurant in the UK, shortly after The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.
• Gordon opened his first restaurant outside of the UK at Verre in Dubai. Two restaurants in Tokyo, Cerise by Gordon Ramsay and Gordon Ramsay at Conrad, opened in 2005. 
• Gordon opened his first American restaurant in November 2006 in New York City. 
• He opened his first Ireland restaurant in 2007. Gordon Ramsay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Powerscourt, County Wicklow.
• On 9th August 2011, Ramsay opened his first Canadian restaurant, Laurier Gordon Ramsay, in Montreal. Both Ireland and Canada restaurants closed in 2013. 
• Gordon Ramsay guest-starred on season three of “Faking It” in 2001. He helped burger flipper and a prospective chef named Ed Devlin. This episode won an award for “Best Factual TV Moment” at the 2001 BAFTA.
• Gordon Ramsay joined several other celebrity chefs in the 2010 series, The Big Fish Fight. Gordon spent time on a trawler boat with fellow chef Jamie Oliver and a few others bring to the public about the discarding of hundreds of thousands of sea fish.
• He hosted Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, the first UK series by Ramsay’s own production company, One Potato Two Potato.
• Gordon created a travelogue about his adventures to India called “Gordon’s Great Escape”. 
• In 1998, Gordon Ramsay got sued by the Aubergine restaurant for £1 million for lost revenue following a breach of contract. They eventually settled off-court. 
• Gordon Ramsay is well-known for mocking the French. On the other hand, one of his most trusted maîtres d’hôtel, Jean-Baptiste Requien (Royal Hospital Road), is French. He also learned to speak French fluently from his time in Paris. 
• Gordon Ramsay named a 29-year-old woman Clare Smyth as a head chef at this three Michelin starred restaurant on Royal Hospital Road. That makes her second high-profile woman chef after Angela Hartnett. Clare Smyth moved on to start her own restaurant in 2017.
• Gordon Ramsay was included in the 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.
• Gordon Ramsay worked in France for nearly 3 years under temperamental Marco Pierre White and began working for Alber Roux at Le Gavroche in Mayfair.
• He left Le Gavroche and worked under his mentor Guy Savoy in France. After that, he took a less stressful job as a private chef on the yacht Idlewild in Bermuda.
• In 1993, Gordon started working as a head chef with a 10% share in the Rossmore restaurant in French.
• Gordon Ramsay established a successful chain of restaurants worldwide. In England, Ireland, Glasgow, New York City, Los Angeles, Florida, Dubai and Tokyo.
• Till 2012, he penned 21 books and contributed articles to The Times Saturday magazine. Two of his books are his autobiographies, Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen and Humble Pie.
• In August 2020, Gordon Ramsay sold his four-bedroom Fowey property, Trevail House, for £2.75 million.
• He originally wanted to be a professional soccer player. Gordon started playing football at age 12. At 18 tried out for the Rangers, the soccer team he supported as a boy in Glasgow, Scotland. He changed careers after a knee injury.
• Gordon doesn’t want his kids to feel privileged. He doesn’t let them fly first class and has no plans to leave his money for them.
• Gordon has a vast number of cars in his collection, including rare Ferraris, a Bentley, and an Aston Martin.
• Gordon has voiced chef characters in several animated films and TV shows, Phineas and Ferb, Mickey, Big Hero 6: The Series The Simpsons and the Roadster Racers. One of his most high-profile cartoon roles was as a Baker Smurf in Smurfs: The Lost Village.
• Gordon hasn’t historically been the biggest fan of non-meat eaters (his favourite dish is beef Wellington). Still, he recently unveiled a vegan menu at his Bread Street Kitchen eatery in London, featuring dishes like a celeriac Wellington and spiced maple carrots.
• He never eats on planes. “I worked for airlines for ten years, so I know where this food’s been and where it goes, and how long it took before it got on board,”
• Gordon Ramsay started as a pot washer.
• He has a black belt in Karate. 
• Channel 4 showed an episode of Ramsay’s Great British Nightmare. In the first 40 minutes of the program, the F word was said 115 times! That averages out to around three swear words every minute.
• Beef wellington became known as the dish of Gordon Ramsay after being made famous in Hell’s Kitchen.